Thursday, September 8, 2011

When Emma Vaile's parents leave on mysterious business trip, it gives her the perfect excuse to be a rebellious teen. Throw some parties, get a tattoo (or maybe just a piercing), and enjoy the first few weeks of her junior year. Then her best friend stops talking to her, the cops crash her party, and Emma finds herself in the hands of a new guardian—her college-age "knight in J.Crew armor," Bennett Stern—and on a plane to his museum-like mansion in New England.

After enrolling at Thatcher Academy, Emma settles in by making friends with the popular legacy crowd. But she can't shake the strange visions that are haunting her. She has memories of Thatcher she can't explain, as if she's returning home to a place she's never been. Emma doesn't trust anyone anymore—except maybe Bennett. But he's about to reveal a ghostly secret to Emma. One that will explain the visions . . . and make Emma fear for her life.

My Review:

Favourite Quote: "He really was perfect. If only he was perfect for me."

Wow! What an impressive start to an awesome new series! I was surprised at how much I enjoyed Deception.

Deception was so easy to get into with it's engaging writing and perfect pacing. It is a slightly eerie tale that never has a dull moment. At the beginning I thought the plot was going to be a little predictable (but in the enjoyable sense) but there was quite a few completely unexpected twists. I like the fact that Nichols' manage to surprise me. It definitely makes me craving to find out what shocking surprises Nichols' has installed for us in book two Betrayal.

Emma was a fun and likeable character. Despite her struggles she never really moped around but rather got on with things as best with things as she could. I certainly don't think I would have been as strong as her with her family missing, moving into a strange town and suddenly being able to see ghosts. Then you have the mysterious Bennett. He was a hard to character to read at first but by the end of the book his secrets are starting to unravel. I found the more he opened up the more I liked him.

However, the romance fell a little short for me. Emma love life is a little complicated and I don't quite feel the chemistry with a certain guy. I certainly see the potential of a amazing romantic relationship but I don't believe it yet. Hopefully book #2 will change my mind.

Overall, Deception was a fun yet haunting tale with intriguing characters and a fantastic premise that kept me constantly entertained. I can't wait for more.

18
comments:

I havent seen or heard of this book, i dont know where you are finding these ones!From your review this sounds like a goodie but i'm a little worried about the lack of romance, i am a total romance-a-holic.I do like the cover however.great review!

The opening line COMPETELY reminds me of Good WIll Hunting - "You're not perfect, sport, and let me save you the suspense: this girl you've met, she's not perfect either. But the question is whether or not you're perfect for each other. ..."

So many books follow the same plot nowadays, so I'm happy to see this one caught you by surprise is some places! Great review!

While the romantic element is usually my favorite part so it's a little bit of a bummer that it falls flat, the rest of the story sounds really good. I haven't heard much about this one, so thanks for the review Nic!

I'm not usually one for ghost stories. Something about them always turns me off. But this one sounds like one I could like. Your description of Emma kind of reminds me of Gabi (River of Time series), in their ability to stay strong regardless of the circumstances they face. Though I'm a bit disappointed the the romance doesn't sounds as tantalizing as I would like, I can wait it out.

Thanks for the helpful review, Nic, otherwise I might not have considered this book.

Ooooh I love haunting and eerie tales. Keep the blood pumping and the adrenaline up. This one sounds like a great read. I'm curious as to why she feels she's having the deja vu feeling and having visions of things now that she's someplace new. Sorry the romance fell short for you, but perhaps the author will be able to convince you in book 2. Sounds like a great new series. Nice review.

Okay, this one sounds like I would enjoy it. I also love that quote. :) Emma sounds like a character I would really enjoy and I love the sound of the plot. I can deal with the flat romance especially if it is a series. Oh yea... it's going on the wishlist!

I've heard quite a bit about this series and everyone seems to enjoy it. I'm not a big fan of ghost stories but I think this is one series that I could get into as well. It's too bad though that you found the romance a little lacking.